Mother's day call and charity

The district  Springfield Illinois

Hello people!

It was so fun hearing from you and kind of seeing you last night! The connection was pretty horrible but at least I got to "kind of see you guys." Being at the Uhe's house was really fun! I'm glad you all got to meet them "kind of." They are so amazing!

This week was really good. We found 10 new investigators! It sounds so much better than it actually is, but it's still great!

I apologize in advance for all of my typos. I am in a rush. 

We met a family of 6. I think they are a "family." Not sure if the "parents" are married but they all go by the same last name even though not all of the kids were born to the same father. There is R'Marion, R'Mahd, Rayne, Selina, Dee, and Jayson the parents. They are really cool. They consider themselves Israelites. They don't belong to any religion they "just follow the bible." You can only imagine what it is like teaching people who tell you from the get-go that they only teach from the Bible. It's kind of hard to introduce the Book of Mormon when they are so strict about it, but we somehow managed to ease our way into it and they each now have their own copy of the book of mormon and are pretty eager to read it. The mother, Dee, also has a lot of biblical knowledge, whether it's false or not, and she interrupted the discussion shouting out random bible verses. She also had a problem with the first vision because the bible says in john 5 that "no man at any time has seen god or heard his voice" or something like. I showed that her interpretation of that was false by showing her the mount transfiguration where they all "heard the voice of the father saying, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. This family also recites the lord's prayer as they face the east, they don't say amen because there apprently is  false god in the bible named amen-ra. they don't eat pork, and they do the sabbath of saturdays. So a lot of obstacles to overcome but they are awesome. R'Marion who is 13 and really chill talked about the NBA and college basketball with me a little before we left. The family is really nice and strange. It was way cool to see how after we bore testimony about the savior and the book of mormon how the mood in the room changed and how all of a sudden they went from trying to prove us wrong with their bible knowledge to each of them wanting a copy of the book of mormon of their own. 

A lot more happened this week but I am just out of time to go into detail. Besides, Grandpa Bob says I "write the longest emails in the world!"

I've been working on developing christ like attributes. The best way to develop attributes is conscientiously and incidentally, not accidentally. Goals and stuff need to be made is what I mean. In preach my gospel there is a chapter about christlike attributes. So what do you think the most important christlike attribute would be?

I would have to say charity is. And if I don't develop any of the other attributes I might as well try to develop the most important one which pretty much encompasses everything else.  And so I have about a year left of my mission, and the greatest thing I would like to posess and help other people possess is charity. So I had an idea this morning that for each month I would focus on one aspect of charity starting next monday (because I won't be able to print some of these things off until next monday) 

45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and enviethnot, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

 46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

 47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endurethforever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

 48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are truefollowers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.

Now let's break charity down into it's purest forms:

I have listed talks you can find on lds.org that go with each of the parts of the scripture. These are suggestions you could use as you choose to study charity with me:

MAY 2016: Suffereth Long and is Kind--"The Need for Greater Kindness" by Gordon B. Hinckley

JUNE: Envieth not--"Stripped of Envy" Ensign March 1999

JULY: is not puffed up and seeketh not her own--"Charity Vaunteth Not Itself, Is Not Puffed Up" Ensign March 1988

AUGUST: not easily provoked--"Slow to Anger" by Gordon B. Hinckley; "Instruments of the Lord's Peace" Ensign May 2006

SEPTEMBER: thinketh no evil--"Charity Thinketh No Evil" Ensign Aug 1988

OCTOBER: rejoice not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth--"My Soul Delighteth in the Things of the Lord" BYU Speeches; Charity Rejoiceth NOt in Iniquity, but Rejoiceth in the Truth" Engsign Oct 1988

NOVEMBER: beareth all things--"Behold Thy Mother" Jeffery R. Holland

DECEMBER: believeth all things, hopeth all things--"Believe All Things" Ensign July 2005; "The Infinite Power of Hope" by Deiter F. Uchtdorf

JANUARY: endureth all things--"He Will Place You Upon His Shoulders and Carry You Home"  by Deiter F. Uchtdorf

FEBRUARY: ye have not charity ye are nothing--"The Fourth Missionary" (ask me who the author is because I'm not sure off the top of my head)

MARCH: Charity is the Pure Love of Christ--"Charity: Perfect and Everlasting Love" by Gene R. Cook

APRIL: Pray with all the energy of heart for this love--"Pray Always" by David A. Bednar

MAY 2017 : We Shall be like him--"The Atonement: All for All" by Bruce C. Hafen

 I am inviting each of you to do this with me because honestly I need help developing charity and it can be like a team effort if we all do it together! What do you all think? Who would like to do it with me?! Who's in?

I love you all! Hope you all have a good week. I know the Savior Lives and will always deliver us if we plead for his strength.

Have a great week!

Elder Soutas

I also forgot to mention we are now teaching a man from Togo named Messan, who the sisters were teaching. Sister G.C. who speaks fluent french came so he could communicate in his own native tongue. She talked the ENTIRE time. We love sis G.C. though.  He said an awesome prayer in French, and in the prayer he said "the words of Alma really inspired me, and please lead the missionaries to those looking for the truth" (because we read alma 32 with him in his french book of mormon).